Fife Flyers hit double figures in Boxing Day rout

Allan Crow

Fife Flyers cruised to a Boxing Day derby victory over Edinburgh Capitals, racking up their biggest win of the season, and hitting double figures for the first time too.

They skated to an effortless 10-1 result against their old rivals whose season is all but shot.

Shayne Stockton fired a hat-trick, Dannick Gauthier and Chase Schaber got doubles, and Carlo Finucci pocketed a trio of assists as the points were spread across the lines.

Flyers were 3-0 up and cruising after just eight minutes when Caps’ starting netminder, Pavel Shegalo, decided he’d had enough and headed to the bench.

Stockton’s hat-trick was complete inside three minutes of the third period as Fife went 5-0 up, and Caps called a time out to try to halt the collapse.

In truth, they had little to offer as Flyers went about their business and eased 8-1 ahead by the end of the second period.

They switched netminders too, Andy Iles handing over to Jordan Marr after dealing with just a handful of shots in the opening 23 minutes.

There was ice time for the whole bench and a chance to give some skaters a rest as Fife controlled the game from start to finish.

The goals were all well taken – the seventh was well set up by Charlie Mosey for James Isaacs to shoot, and Peter LeBlanc to flick the rebound in and out of net before anyone else had moved.

The eighth saw Gauthier net with not a defenceman in sight, while Schaber deservedly grabbed a second for 9-1, before Ian Young rang the bell for double figures with a 58th minute powerplay set up by Gauthier.

The bulk of the goals came in the second period – a hefty 5-1 shelling of Caps – and the third was simply a matter of running down the clock, job done.

It meant Fife wrapped up the first leg of their festive campaign with four from six points, and in fine fettle for the Ne’er programme which sees Guildford Flames come to Kirkcaldy on the 30th, and a Hogmanay derby in Edinburgh.